Item Fifteen: They Do Not Believe in the Existence of God, and They Deny the Essence of Christ (Part One) Section Three

B. Refusing to Acknowledge God’s Sovereignty Over All Things

Next, let us fellowship on the second manifestation of “They do not believe in the existence of God, and they deny the essence of Christ”: antichrists refusing to acknowledge God’s sovereignty over all things. To antichrists, the Creator who possesses the identity of God simply does not exist, He is just a myth. Can antichrists acknowledge the fact that the Creator holds sovereignty over all things then? It goes without saying that they do not acknowledge this fact. They do not acknowledge it, and this is also based on facts. Antichrists’ belief, knowledge, and comprehension of God are based on human notions and imaginings, on some human perceptions and understandings of idols, and also on the heresies and fallacies that those idols use to mislead people. Are the notions, imaginings, heresies, fallacies, and other things in antichrists’ hearts consistent with or contradictory to the fact that God is sovereign over all things? They are, of course, contradictory to this fact. The idols that people give offerings to mislead them by putting forward some heresies and fallacies that accord with human notions, imaginings, and tastes, in order to gain a firm foothold among mankind, such as “Buddha is benevolent,” “Heaven cherishes living things,” “Saving one life beats building a seven-tier pagoda,” and “What is destined must happen, and what is not destined should not be forced.” What else? (There is a god three feet above you.) Where is three feet above you? That is in midair, where Satan lives. What is this “god”? (It is Satan.) And what is the saying that Buddhists often use? (Good is repaid with good, and evil with evil; these things will be repaid, the time has just not yet arrived.) People regard these relatively positive sayings and philosophical theories that are often said in the world as the truth, but in fact, are these words the truth? Is there any relationship between them and the truth? (No.) Like “Good is repaid with good, and evil with evil; these things will be repaid, the time has just not yet arrived”—what does “good is repaid with good” mean? What does “good” refer to? Is it justice, the truth, or man’s little bit of goodwill? (It’s man’s goodwill.) Is man’s little bit of goodwill really repaid with good? Not necessarily. “Building bridges and repairing roads lead to blindness”—building bridges and repairing roads are acts of kindness, so why do they lead to blindness? Is there reward for these acts? (No.) “Evil with evil”—killing and arson are evil, so are they repaid with evil? (No.) Why not? “While murderers and arsonists ensure that their offspring multiply”—these words refute “evil with evil.” “These things will be repaid, the time has just not yet arrived”—what does “the time has just not yet arrived” mean? What does it mean for it to arrive? When people do not understand the truth, they regard these words and sayings as positive things and truths. People with empty hearts and no source of spiritual sustenance take these so-called correct words as their spiritual sustenance, as a kind of spiritual comfort, to console themselves, “It’s okay, there is hope in life, there is still fairness and righteousness in this world, and there is still someone who will uphold justice. It is still possible to get a fair outcome, and a statement of resolution will ultimately be passed on all of this.” Are those sayings true understandings of God’s sovereignty over all things? Are they true manifestations of people’s acknowledgment of the fact that God is sovereign over all things? (No.) Are the sayings or proverbs that people say related to the fact that God is sovereign over all things? (No.) Why not? (These words are not the truth.) Your answer proves this on a theoretical level, but what is the root cause? The root cause is far from being as simple as this doctrine, it is far from possible to explain it in just this one sentence. Since the matter of God being sovereign over all things is not so simple, how should it be understood? As we fellowshipped before, antichrists do not acknowledge that God is sovereign over all things. No matter what antichrists are looking at, they always scrutinize and analyze it from the perspective of an onlooker, and of a materialist who regards money and power as life. If a person looks at anything from such a perspective and standpoint, won’t the essence of the issue change? Won’t it be different? What will the ultimate result be if someone looks at the laws and rules of the development of all things from the perspective of a materialist? Won’t a materialist’s view of the world produce human philosophies, strategies, methods, and approaches for worldly dealings? Won’t it produce game rules? (Yes.) This is the result, and the essence of the issue is here.

How does a materialist view power? They believe that if a person wants to gain power, first, they need to have strategies, second, they need to be able to manipulate all kinds of people, third, they need to be cruel, and fourth, they must be changeable. Isn’t this a materialist’s point of view? Is there any hint of submission to God’s sovereignty in this? (No.) How did materialists come up with these views on power? Weren’t these views produced by the essence of antichrists? (Yes.) What essence of antichrists? Tell Me, if antichrists did not have a wicked essence, would they come up with the words “be able to manipulate people”? Would they think that they “need to have strategies”? Would they say that they “must be changeable”? If they did not have a vicious essence, would they say that they “need to be cruel”? (No.) This is determined by the essence of antichrists. Are the various thoughts produced by their essence just ideas that exist in their minds, or are their principles for worldly dealings and their comportment in everyday life the same? (Their principles for worldly dealings are the same.) They are constantly making summaries in their day-to-day lives and among groups, so their strategies keep becoming more and more mature and seasoned, and in the end become diabolical. What does diabolical mean? It means being cruel enough, ruthless enough, and sinister enough. Can their manifestations of cruelty, ruthlessness, and sinisterness make them submit to God’s sovereignty and arrangements? Absolutely not. Therefore, no matter if they are young or old, antichrists do everything based on their own philosophies, laws, game rules, strategies, and experience. Is all this consistent with or contradictory to the fact that God is sovereign over all things? (Contradictory.) When antichrists implement all these laws that they have produced through their summaries, what is their principle and aim? What is their motivation? They say, “If you want to get what you want, you must learn to do whatever it takes, and go to any lengths, to be cruel enough, ruthless enough, and sinister enough, as the saying goes, ‘A small mind makes no gentleman; a real man must be ruthless.’” What does this mean? It means: “What sovereignty of god? What waiting for the arrangements of heaven? There are no such things! Which official or monarch didn’t get to where they are by ferocious and brutal means? Are these positions not gained through fighting and killing?” Looking at this viewpoint of theirs, do antichrists acknowledge the fact that God is sovereign over all things? (No.) In the world of nonbelievers, antichrists have such a perspective on this law of survival. So, while they are in the church, will they use the same strategies when they act? Will they follow the same life rules? This will not change in the slightest. Even when antichrists come to the church, they never restrain themselves or reform themselves, they absolutely do not do this. They say, “If you want to excel above others, you must learn to possess strategies. When everyone is around, especially when people of standing are around, you must try your best to show off, and let those in charge, the leaders, and the above see this. Then you’ll have the chance to be promoted and put in important positions, and have the opportunity to excel above others. In addition, you must learn to behave differently when you are around people compared to when you are not, you must learn to engage in deception. Do good things in front of people, and do terrible, bad, dark things, and things that people don’t like in secret. Never let anyone see through you. You must show people your best side, and you must disguise yourself well. No matter how bad you truly are, you must cover it up well. Don’t lose people’s support. Once you lose their support, it’s too late—then you’ll have no chance.” Antichrists also live by such strategies and laws of survival in the church.

How do antichrists view the testimonies of all the brothers and sisters who have experienced and come to know God’s sovereignty over all things? Antichrists say, “People possess brains, thoughts, and education, and through editing, and composing, they have produced these experiential testimonies. In fact, these experiential testimonies are all imagined by people, they are all fake, and they are all impossible. I could produce experiential testimony too, if I were to make it up. I could produce 10 or 20 articles of experiential testimony. I just can’t be bothered to do that. Do you think I can’t see through your little schemes? Aren’t you just doing this to show off? You call it by the pretty name of testifying to god, testifying to the name of god, and testifying to god’s sovereignty over all things, and say that you’re bearing witness for god, but in fact, you are doing it simply in order to bear witness for yourself and to excel above others.” They don’t acknowledge the veracity of all the testimonies about the work that God has done on people. When it comes to the various environments and situations in the outside world, and the conditions of each country, antichrists cannot see through to how God is working, and when it comes to God maintaining, changing, or arranging the environments of the outside world, they cannot see through to what the meaning of Him doing all this is. They believe that “‘God is sovereign over all things’ is just an empty, high-sounding statement. In reality, no matter which country you go to, you have to obey the government of that country, right? You are subject to the constraints of the government and laws of that country, aren’t you? Doesn’t this mean that the statement that god is sovereign over all things falls through? Regardless of how he exercises his sovereignty, can it surpass the government and laws of any country?” Therefore, as soon as the environment and situation in the outside world are unfavorable to the church and to the church’s work, antichrists secretly feel happy and laugh about it, revealing their demonic faces. When the church’s work is going smoothly, and God is blessing and leading it, and everything is on track, when there is no interference from the environment of the outside world, and the brothers’ and sisters’ states are getting better and better, antichrists’ hearts are restless and impatient, they feel extremely envious, and uncomfortable and hateful. Why do they feel hateful? They do not believe that God can be sovereign over all of this. The church is God’s house, it is the place where God does His management work, where God saves mankind, where God’s will goes unimpeded, and where God’s words can be realized and confirmed in people. When the church is doing well, it demonstrates the reality of God’s authority, as well as confirming that the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things exists and is true. Once this fact exists and is verified, it is a slap in the face for antichrists. After being slapped in the face, do antichrists feel joy, peace, and comfort in their hearts, or do they feel defiant and indignant? (They feel defiant and indignant.) What are they thinking about in their hearts? They hate God and deny God. If it appears on the surface that the situation of the church and the brothers and sisters is not very good, with these people being persecuted, oppressed, and excluded, and lacking any status in society, antichrists feel quite happy and pleased in their hearts, but when God’s work and the church life are all thriving and constantly developing, antichrists do not feel happy. Why do they not feel happy? Because this is too inconsistent with their notions, it is something they did not expect. God’s sovereignty and God’s words have been fulfilled and realized, subverting their views, and so they feel sad. Based on the thoughts and views that antichrists display, as well as their feelings of dissatisfaction, don’t they harbor the same perspective as the great red dragon? Isn’t their nature essence the same as that of the great red dragon? It’s completely the same.

Regarding the entire world, all things, and the laws and rules followed by all created beings, antichrists think: “Nature and seasons were formed long ago. If it’s cold for a long time, it will get hot; if it’s hot for a long time, it will get cold. When it’s time for leaves to fall, they will fall when the wind blows. Isn’t this all very normal? How is this god’s sovereignty? How is this a law set by god? What can god’s laws do? People have killed so many animals without much consequence; mankind still keeps living on as it did before, right? They say god is sovereign over all things, so how come I don’t see how god holds sovereignty over them? They say god is sovereign over all things, but why do evil people always thrive while the good never get the upper hand?” In the end, they conclude that: “There’s no savior in this world; it’s mankind that manipulates the world. It’s the great figures and leaders of the world’s countries who rule this world, and it is those people who change the landscape of this world. Without those great and capable people, the world would be doomed. As for god being sovereign over all things, I can’t see it. How is god sovereign over them? Why can’t I feel this? Why can’t I understand this? Why does god’s sovereignty over all things contain a lot of stuff that is contrary to human notions?” They can neither acknowledge nor accept it. When it comes to God’s sovereignty over all things, the way God is sovereign over all things, the disposition God reveals in His sovereignty over all things, God’s principles of action, God’s essence, and so on, people who pursue the truth can only grasp a fraction of this in their lifetimes. Yet this is enough to make them submit to the Creator’s sovereignty and arrangements, submit to all the words spoken by the Creator, and acknowledge the Creator as God. Even if some people can understand a fraction of this, it’s impossible for them to fully understand it, because many of God’s works are carried out from His status and identity, and there will always be a discrepancy between these works and the thought and cognition of created human beings. And the little that people can understand through the things they experience in their lifetimes can only be grasped by those who pursue the truth, those with insight and the ability to comprehend the truth. For those of poor caliber, who lack insight and do not love the truth at all, even this fraction of understanding is unattainable. It’s often said that God’s thoughts are higher than those of man. This means that humans always fall short of the thoughts of the Creator, and them gaining a fraction of understanding is God’s grace. For those who pursue the truth, this can only be achieved by those who accept the final stage of God’s work, after hearing many of God’s words, and understanding and experiencing many truths—it requires a lifetime of effort. For antichrists who fundamentally deny God’s identity, in terms of their essence, they do not love the truth or positive things, and even less do they love anything related to God’s identity and essence, so they will never reach the point of acknowledging the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things. Acknowledging this fact is built upon a basis of understanding and pursuing the truth, but antichrists deny the truth, are averse to the truth, hate God, and even more so, hate God’s identity and essence. So, for them, the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things will always be nonexistent. What does “nonexistent” mean? It means that these blockheads will never see or understand the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things. Therefore, they cannot grasp it. Many things are contained within the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things, and it touches on many truths, as well as God’s wisdom and God’s identity and essence. How does God orchestrate all things amid everything that He is sovereign over? In terms of methods, timing, and God’s considerations for this matter, how does His mind plan and deploy it? Judging based on these aspects, God’s sovereignty over all things is not a simple matter; there are quite complex relationships involved. Blockheads like antichrists who simply do not have spiritual understanding and do not accept the truth, will never understand the way God holds sovereignty over all things. They will never understand it, so can they acknowledge it? (They can’t.) Some say, “They don’t acknowledge it because they can’t understand it. If they could understand it, wouldn’t they acknowledge it?” This is just an inference; inferences merely accord with logic, they are not necessarily in line with the facts. So, what is the truth of the facts? Antichrists will never acknowledge the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things. For now, let’s not speak about antichrists, and instead talk about the archangel, Satan, the devil, the great red dragon. It persecutes God’s chosen people, damages the church, and disturbs God’s work. When God brings disasters upon it, causing it to scramble around in a panic, become frantic, and be at its wits’ end, it is unable to cope, and it finally utters a plea for mercy, “I will never fight against heaven again.” What information can be gleaned from this statement? The great red dragon acknowledges the existence of Heaven, and of God, but its nature doesn’t change; even though it acknowledges God’s existence, it still runs counter to and opposes God. When it can’t beat God, it begs for mercy, saying it will no longer fight with Heaven. But is it truly subdued and pleading for mercy? No, when it recovers, it will continue to fight; this is its nature, and its nature doesn’t change. Antichrists have this same nature.

How do antichrists view God’s sovereignty over the destiny of mankind within His sovereignty over all things? This involves a very microscopic matter. When it comes to God’s sovereignty over all things, the concept of “all things” is macroscopic and too vast; antichrists cannot accept it, they are blind to it, and cannot see through to it. So, do antichrists submit to how God holds sovereignty over their own destinies? Do they comprehend this? Do they understand it? Can they acknowledge it? Even less so. Antichrists believe that they secured all the good things in their real lives through their own efforts. For instance, if they get into a university, they credit this to them doing well in their studies, believing they were born to attend a prestigious university. If they are living a good life and have earned money, they consider themselves to be cut out for getting rich, as fortune-tellers have told them they would have a prosperous life, and be lucky enough to both become an official and do well financially. When things go wrong, or not as they hoped, and they suffer, they begin to complain, “Why do things go so badly for me? Why is my fate so bad? My luck is terrible!” They interpret and view these things from a human perspective. If everything goes smoothly, they become all high and mighty, showing off at every turn, striking a fierce and threatening pose, and acting brash and arrogant; but when things don’t go their way, they blame God and other people, and try to find a way to turn things around and escape the situation. They say that everything God ordains and does is good, but in private, they rack their brains, trying to use every means to turn things around, and escape or change the situation, saying, “I refuse to believe that my fate is so bad, that my luck is so terrible. I refuse to believe that the world is so unfair, that a capable person like me won’t eventually see the light of day, that my time to shine will never come. In fact, destiny is just an empty shell, it is just a saying; it all depends on one’s own efforts and struggles. As the saying goes, ‘One must endure the greatest hardships in order to become the greatest of men.’ This is the highest creed; I should never forget this, I must use it to motivate myself.” They say again and again that everything God does is good, that God is sovereign over everything and that they submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements, but in the end, they say, “One must endure the greatest hardships in order to become the greatest of men.” On the surface, they speak spiritual words, but in secret, the principles they implement, practice, and follow are Satan’s philosophies for worldly dealings, logic, and thinking. Is there any submission in this? (No.) This is how antichrists view, understand, and approach the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things. Based on these manifestations and examples, do antichrists acknowledge and believe in the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things, or do they doubt and condemn it? (They doubt and condemn it.) Regardless of what they say, based on their actual manifestations, antichrists fundamentally disdain the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things and do not believe in it. Some antichrists even make absurd statements: “How can you not strive for anything, and just passively wait for god’s sovereignty? Don’t you have to cook your own meals? Can you just wait with your mouth open for pies to fall from the sky? No matter how god holds sovereignty, people still need to work hard and take action, right?” Antichrists not only refuse to acknowledge the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things, they also deny and misinterpret it. What is their purpose in misinterpreting it? They are looking for a basis and an excuse for them unscrupulously fighting for all the benefits they desire. Based on the various manifestations of antichrists, what is their true perspective on the fact of God’s sovereignty over all things? Disbelief, denial, and condemnation—this is their true perspective.

In the two points we fellowshipped on today, we primarily dissected the manifestation of antichrists not believing in the existence of God. After listening to this fellowship, have you gained any understanding? Which people have these issues? What kind of person possesses the disposition of antichrists but not the essence of antichrists, and can change? Which people have the same problems, but possess the essence of antichrists, cannot change, are forever enemies of God, and aren’t the objects of salvation but of destruction? Do you also exhibit these manifestations? Do you feel you can change? Can you accept the truth and use it to change and replace these thoughts? (Yes.) Which people cannot change? There is a kind of person who, upon seeing nonbelievers that live luxurious lives, that reside in large houses with interiors decorated like palaces, and have several luxury cars, becomes tempted and laments, “It’s great to be rich, to be an official, to be capable! Why is he so capable? Why is he so lucky? How did he earn his money?” Whenever they see that someone has social status, they particularly flatter, fawn on, and try to curry favor with them, willing to do anything for them, to become servile to any degree. They particularly love the evil trends in society and often wish to be part of them, feeling distressed when their faith in God prevents them from doing so. Even more so, they feel that they have been left behind by the world; they feel lonely, helpless, that there is nothing to sustain them, that they can find no comfort, and they often feel heartbroken. Another type of person feels great admiration when they see those with money and power enjoying success while handling their affairs in society and often acclaims this, saying, “They killed a person, but because they have money and connections, they just spent a token few days in jail and then got out. That’s real capability!” They highly respect and look up to such people in society. Yet another type of person pays special attention to and deeply cares about sensitive political topics in society, and even really wants to get involved in and throw themselves into some affairs that relate to politics. People of these sorts and other similar types, deep down, have the same attitude toward God as antichrists: They do not believe in God’s existence, they do not acknowledge God’s identity, or the fact that God has sovereignty over all things. These people belong to the same gang as antichrists. They do not belong to the church or God’s house and will eventually be cleansed away. They can’t get along with those who believe in God and the path they walk is at odds with God’s requirements. These people are all dangerous; even if they haven’t done any evil yet, and have not openly denied, judged, or condemned God yet, or openly misled people and vied for status in the church, they possess the essence of antichrists because they fundamentally do not acknowledge God’s identity, and even less do they acknowledge the fact that God has sovereignty over all things. They are part of the wicked forces and part of Satan’s gang. They revere wickedness, and any heresy or fallacy promoted by devils and Satan, as well as any evil trend that rises, is popular, or spreads in the world. They do not belong to God’s house or the church and are not the objects of God’s salvation. These people are true enemies of God, they are antichrists.

November 14, 2020

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